A sweet nose — sweet in a cedar, eucalypt, earthy sort of way — that gives up very little to the  imperative of varietal correctness. There’s enough recognisably Cabernet fruit, though, to satisfy the purists. Ultimately, it is what it is and, for my tastes, the aroma is wonderfully comforting, in addition to being complex and balanced and all those serious things. 

The palate strikes me with its sense of appropriateness. It never rises above medium bodied, yet is a lesson in generosity and mature balance. On entry, lithe gum leaf and cassis wind around each other, giving way to a more textural expression of detailed fruit and earth as the wine makes its way through the mid-palate. There’s plenty of complex flavour within the context of the style, which remains doggedly elegant. The after palate dries with still-abundant tannins, quite chalky in character. They carry sweet fruit through a very long finish. Given the structure here, I’ve no doubt a few more years in bottle would yield pleasing results; I’m happy with the wine right now, though, especially in accompaniment to a cheese platter. 

Tremendously enjoyable wine.

I’ve been tasting this over three nights and only now, on the third evening, is it beginning to tire. The nose shows as much sweet earth as it does Cabernet cassis and leaf, so one might describe this expression of the grape as “regional.” As an aside, I find certain regions quite fascinating for the overriding effect they seem to have on some varieties. Hunter does it to reds, and so does Canberra. They taste more of their geographic provenance than anything else, and so it is too with this wine. There’s ample volume and expressiveness here, which conspire to deliver a wine one doesn’t easily tire of smelling.

In the mouth, a velvet ride of sweet tannin plushness. There’s more than just tannin, of course, but I keep coming back to them as the foundation, both structural and aesthetic, of this wine. On entry, immediate red fruited goodness pushed along by fine, balanced acidity and a twang of orange juice-like sourness. Everything comes together on the middle palate, clean fruit colliding with rich soil and a hint of unexpected minerality. Texturally, an abundance of ripe tannins provides both firmness and a sense of luxury. The whole is medium bodied, with good balance and an overarching sense of down home drinkability. The after palate and finish are admirably focused, with both fruit and structure moving seamlessly through the mouth and lingering on in the form of Angostura Bitters flavour and a dry, more-ish mouthfeel.

Really nice wine, and exceptional value considering its pedigree and character. The regional style may not be to everyone’s taste, but it appeals to me greatly.